Jerry's Blog

To recap, the first tip for raising accountability in the workplace was about you setting the example for your peers and employees. Before you can expect people to do what you ask of them, you have to show a willingness to do the same.

The next tip is about communication.

Today's workforce is much different from the workforce of past decades. Today's workforce will not blindly follow along just because the boss said to. Some say this is due to a higher education in general. While this is true, I also believe that a different reason has a greater impact. We as a society have decreased the level of discipline that we impose upon our children as they grow up. We ask less of them, and require a lower level of obedience. One of the results of this is that our children question our decisions on a greater level of frequency than ever before. There are many other results but I'll let Bill O'Rielly and the other talking heads to weigh in on those.

Whatever the reason, the result is the same - today's worker is less likely to do something just because you say so. They want to understand why they need to act differently. Remember, this is a lifestyle change just like losing weight or to quit smoking. You have to communicate the reasons why it is imperative that the group changes.

You will also have to have irrefutable proof that there is a problem with the level of accountability in your group. There will be finger pointing and deflection of responsibility on this issue just like any other and maybe even more.

So knowing that people will not blindly follow along until they understand and agree that there is a problem you have to plan a communication strategy to put the group in this position. Most people would say, "Okay lets hold a meeting to tell everyone this and show the proof." You could of course do this and with a meek and mild group it may work. However, one of the best pieces of management advice that I ever received is to never have a meeting until the outcome is already determined. This means that you will need to do a lot of one-on-one communication and politicking. In a one-on-one situation you can custom tailor your message to the one person you are talking to. Your arguments, your proofs, and your counters are all specifically tailored to that one person. Furthermore, if the outcome is different or unexpected, it is in private and you do not give the opposition a chance to build momentum as you would if this came out in front of the group.

You also need a plan beyond just positioning agreement that there is a problem. You need to know what direction you want to head. I'm not saying that at this point you need to have a detailed plan, such as bringing in consultants tomorrow, but you need the group to leave the meeting with some specific actions to go accomplish that will take the group closer to the answer.

Now you are ready to hold a group meeting. You know who your allies are and you know where the opposition is going to come from. You have a plan to deal with the opposition and you have a plan of action going forward. If you are really good at setting yourself up for success, you have several key people ready to lead the conversation without you having to say a word.

This is just the beginning of your communication plan. Now that you have put the issue on the table in the open you cannot let it drop. You have to keep talking about accountability and responsibility on a daily basis. You also have to start doing things differently with others. That is the focus of the next tip.

Tip #1 for Raising Accountability in the workplace

In most X step programs the first step is always the most difficult, until you get to the next step of course. All steps in correcting any major life issue are tough steps because they involve lifestyle changes. This is true whether you are trying to quit smoking, lose weight, or what ever. The same is true with raising accountability in your work place. It involves lifestyle changes. YOU have to think and act differently. That's right YOU. If YOU want to change the people around you, then YOU have to act differently. It all starts with YOU.

You have to act more accountable.
You have to act more responsible for your own actions.
You have to stop blaming others for your failures.
You have to stop accepting credit for other peoples accomplishments.
You have to stop making excuses.
You have to stop pointing fingers and placing blame.

You see its one of those leadership things - You can’t ask others to do something you yourself are not willing to do.

It is my experience that most corporate culture change initiatives fail because the leadership of the corporation expects for everyone else to change but see no reason for themselves to change. They fail to exhibit the leadership neccessary for the change to take place. The people below them see no change above and conclude, rather accurately I must say, that it cannot be that important to change because the compnay’s leaders are not changing.

Now from that statement you might conclude that the only way to change your organization’s culture and raise the level of accountability is for the CEO and all the top brass to change and beome more accountable. THat is not what I am saying at all. THe most effective culture change is one that starts with you, what ever your position in the company is. When you make a concious decsion to become more accountable for your actions you raise the bar for everyone around you. When you have become more accountable, it will be eveident to those around you. Then, you have the moral authority, to begin holding those around more accountable for their actions. Not just those that report to you, but your peers and your superiors as well. It does not take a huge corportate initiative, it takes one person determined to make changes, and willing to make those changes themselves, before they try to change others.

The mission of this blog is to get more people talking about accountability in the workplace and in our organizations in general. I am happy to report success, even if it is only one more person. Over the last few days Halogen Software’s Human Resources Adviser and official blogger - Dave has published a series of articles about accountability (even better, he mentioned me - Thanks Dave). To read the articles in full click here: article 1, article 2, article 3. Now of course the articles are advertisements for his company’s software but that is okay with me if there is no more than one salient point in the message. Dave makes several. My favorite is the following excerpt:

Where the real accountability comes in is around keeping everyone responsible for their actions on a day-to-day basis and creating a culture where everyone understands what they are to achieve, and is measured against that.

Ahhh, music to my ears. He nailed it on the head. This is exactly what performance management is about. Now the trick is achieving said culture. Sounds like a great blog topic to me.

Next time - Achieving a Culture of Accountability (part 1 of ??)